Hojicha
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese green tea that is distinguished from others because it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal
; Japanese tea is usually steamed. The tea is fired at high temperature
, altering the leaf colour tints from green to reddish-brown. The process was first performed in Kyoto
, Japan
in the 1920s and its popularity persists today.
Hōjicha is often made from bancha (番茶, "common tea"), tea from the last harvest of the season, however other varieties of Hōjicha also exist, including a variety made from sencha
, and Kukicha
, tea made from the twigs of the tea plant rather than the leaves.
Hōjicha infusions have a light- to reddish-brown appearance, and are less astringent due to losing catechins during the high temperature roasting process. The roasted flavours are extracted and predominate this blend: the roasting replaces the vegetative tones of standard green tea with a toasty, slightly caramel-like flavour. The roasting process used to make Hōjicha lowers the amount of caffeine
in the tea. Because of its mildness, Hōjicha is a popular tea to serve during the meal or after the evening meal before going to sleep and even preferred for children and elderly.
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
; Japanese tea is usually steamed. The tea is fired at high temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
, altering the leaf colour tints from green to reddish-brown. The process was first performed in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the 1920s and its popularity persists today.
Hōjicha is often made from bancha (番茶, "common tea"), tea from the last harvest of the season, however other varieties of Hōjicha also exist, including a variety made from sencha
Sencha
Sencha is a Japanese green tea, specifically one made without grinding the tea leaves. The word "sencha" means "decocted tea," referring to the method that the tea beverage is made from the dried tea leaves...
, and Kukicha
Kukicha
Kukicha , or twig tea, also known as bōcha , is a Japanese blend made of stems, stalks, and twigs. It is available as a green tea or in more oxidized processing. Kukicha has a unique flavor and aroma among teas, due to its being composed of parts of the tea plant that are excluded from most other...
, tea made from the twigs of the tea plant rather than the leaves.
Hōjicha infusions have a light- to reddish-brown appearance, and are less astringent due to losing catechins during the high temperature roasting process. The roasted flavours are extracted and predominate this blend: the roasting replaces the vegetative tones of standard green tea with a toasty, slightly caramel-like flavour. The roasting process used to make Hōjicha lowers the amount of caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
in the tea. Because of its mildness, Hōjicha is a popular tea to serve during the meal or after the evening meal before going to sleep and even preferred for children and elderly.